Dynamics of Child Malnutrition in Rural and Small‐Town Ethiopia

Improving the status of malnourished children, and preventing children from becoming malnourished, lies at the heart of several of the Sustainable Development Goals. While many cross‐sectional studies examine correlates of stunting, they largely cannot identify drivers of change in stunting. We use two waves of panel data from Ethiopia and incrementally larger sets of fixed effects to control for time‐variant observable characteristics and time‐invariant unobservable characteristics. After controlling for these potential confounders, our analysis reveals that many factors that are associated with stunting in the cross‐section do not impact stunting dynamics. We also estimate individual fixed‐effects regressions, separately, according to baseline stunting status. We find evidence suggesting that while improved societal conditions drive many children out of a stunted state, certain exogenous factors may lead previously healthy children to become stunted. Overall, policymakers and practitioners would be wise to consult research utilising both cross‐sectional and panel data analyses in order to more effectively target already stunted children as well as vulnerable children who may be at risk of becoming stunted.     

Modelling the Ecological Comorbidity of Acute Respiratory Infection,Diarrhoea and Stunting among Children Under the Age of 5 Years in Somalia

The aim of this study was to assess spatial co‐occurrence of acute respiratory infections (ARI), diarrhoea and stunting among children of the age between 6 and 59 months in Somalia. Data were obtained from routine biannual nutrition surveys conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization 2007–2010. A Bayesian hierarchical geostatistical shared component model was fitted to the residual spatial components of the three health conditions. Risk maps of the common spatial effects at 1×1 km resolution were derived. The empirical correlations of the enumeration area proportion were 0.37, 0.63 and 0.66 for ARI and stunting, diarrhoea and stunting and ARI and diarrhoea, respectively. Spatially, the posterior residual effects ranged 0.03–20.98, 0.16–6.37 and 0.08–9.66 for shared component between ARI and stunting, diarrhoea and stunting and ARI and diarrhoea, respectively. The analysis showed clearly that the spatial shared component between ARI, diarrhoea and stunting was higher in the southern part of the country. Interventions aimed at controlling and mitigating the adverse effects of these three childhood health conditions should focus on their common putative risk factors, particularly in the South in Somalia.     

Towards a Healthy Indonesia?

Abstract

During his first presidential term, Joko Widodo increased expenditure on, and the coverage of, several social protection policies, including the conditional cash transfer program. These policies began in the aftermath of the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and have proliferated in recent years. This Survey will examine these policies, paying particular attention to implementation problems, including effective targeting through the construction of a unified database. It will also examine both food policy and broader health policy issues. It is widely agreed that health problems, such as those relating to early childhood development, must be addressed in Indonesia in a wider context, including through the provision of clean water and sanitation facilities, food security, and social assistance. The Survey will also examine recent discussions of trends in inequality and poverty, several of which claim that inequality has been increasing. Using recent figures published by Statistics Indonesia, it is argued that expenditure inequality has in fact been trending downward in recent years.     

Optimising balance using covariate balancing propensity score: The case of South African child support grant

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we explore the use of covariate balancing propensity scores (CBPS) in estimating the impact of the South African child support grant (CSG) on the height-for-age score of benefiting children. CBPS is a different approach to estimating propensity score, under CBPS the scores are estimated such that the estimation incorporates covariate balancing condition. This approach is therefore relatively robust to misspecification of the propensity score model which makes it ideal for this case study. We show that utilising the CBPS leads to treatment effect estimate that is larger and more precisely estimated than estimates that have been reported in the literature because the method exploits the dual function of propensity score. The effect of CSG under CBPS is as large as 44% of standard deviation on average. This implies that the effect of the grant cannot be regarded as small as previously reported in the literature.     

植物矮化激素对茶条槭生长及观赏性作用的研究

利用不同植物矮化激素对茶条槭进行喷施试验。结果表明,不同激素对茶条槭的生长效果及观赏性有明显的作用;对茶条槭矮化效果最佳的是10ml/L的国光矮壮素和浓度为2g/L的国光多效唑。     

多效唑对两栖植物—黄菖蒲矮化生长的影响

本实验目的在于通过对各项生理指标的分析,检验施用不同浓度多效唑对黄菖蒲植株生长的强化影响效应,为高质量利用黄菖蒲的景观和水体净化功能提供应用措施。     

DETERMINANTS OF CHILD NUTRITION IN MALAWI

This paper investigates factors that determine child malnutrition in Malawi. Measuring child nutrition using anthropometric measures, the study finds that child malnutrition worsens with age until a certain critical age beyond which it starts to improve and that boys are more at risk than girls. We also find evidence that child malnutrition is more prevalent in children that fall sick regularly and in households that draw water from a well, protected or not. In addition, children who come from households that have mother/female household heads who are economically empowered, in terms of being in salaried employment or working in a family business, tend to be better nourished.     

Inequalities in the reduction of child stunting over time in Latin America: evidence from the DHS 2000–2010

The paper describes two different savings arrangements around cattle that have been developed in two villages in the eastern region of Burkina Faso and raises the question of why two forms have evolved in the same region, populated by the same ethnic groups, and where crop and livestock production systems are similar. It is argued that while the general system of keeping savings in cattle developed out of specific social, economic and environmental trends within the 20th Century, the difference between the two systems is due to social capital endowments and environmental characteristics. The paper is based on 3 years of fieldwork between 1995 and 1998 and makes use of observation, key informant interviews and a budget study of 35 married individuals over a 2-year period.     

Does financial development contribute to the achievement of the “Zero Hunger” goal in Africa?

This study examines the effects of financial development on undernourishment with panel data from 40 African countries. We show that financial development in all its dimensions reduces undernourishment. In addition, financial development, financial institutions, the financial market, and financial market depth reduce child stunting. We also identify education, health expenditure, access to electricity, and control of corruption as the main transmission channels through which financial development reduces undernourishment. These results have important implications for the achievement of the “Zero Hunger” goal in Africa and for improving child nutrition.     

Climate,weather and child health in Burkina Faso

It is now clear that anthropogenic climate change is having a negative impact on human health. In this paper, we provide the first comprehensive assessment of the impact of climatic stressors on child health in Burkina Faso. We undertake a rigorous empirical analysis of the impact of climate and weather shocks on mortality, stunting (height-for-age Z-score) and wasting (weight-for-age Z-score), using Demographic and Health Surveys, combined with high-resolution meteorological data, controlling for household and individual covariates. We find robust evidence that both lifetime and short-term exposure to high temperatures and droughts have a negative impact on child health, as do increased temperature anomalies during crop seasons, suggesting a link between climate and health through domestic food production. Income and household wealth, access to electricity, sanitation and a health facility for childbirth negate some adverse impacts of climate change. Combining our econometric estimates with updated CMIP6 scenarios, we compute policy-relevant projections of future child health. Our results show that future warming is projected to significantly increase child mortality, and share of underweight and stunted children, in all but the Paris Agreement scenario. Given the links between health, a key element of human capital, and economic growth, our findings and projections provide yet more evidence of the importance of a rapid reduction in global emissions combined with adaptation funding, if lower-income countries are to achieve poverty reduction and increasing prosperity.